Blade has hit yet another setback.
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that director Bassam Tariq has left the project. Marvel Studios confirmed the news, revealing that the director will remain an executive producer on the project. While Tariq’s exit is unfortunate, it does seem to be genuinely due to the film’s repeated delays, as the director also released his own statement on the matter.
“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade but will remain an executive producer on the film. We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”
Marvel Studios
“Its been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel. We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”
Tariq
Marvel Studios is already on the hunt for a new director. It’s likely we’ll hear news on that front in the coming weeks, although no names have been mentioned as being in contention just yet. THR was also able to confirm our report that Beau DeMayo was, in fact, brought on to rework the script.
Blade is set to star Mahershala Ali in the title role, with the cast also including Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre. Also part of the cast is Milan Ray. The first draft of the screenplay was penned by Watchmen’s Stacy Osei-Kuffour. The film was set to hit theaters on Nov. 3rd, 2023.
Source: THR.
